and a fertile plain on the south-west. There is a large fountain, the source of the stream referred to, in the gardens beside the houses. I here entered a plain about a mile in breadth, having on the right a low ridge of hills, and on the left the loftiest peaks of Antilibanus. Along the base of the latter are extensive vineyards. About the centre of this plain is the watershed between the valleys of Yahfûfeh and the Barada, and, consequently, between the Bukâa and the eastern plain. In forty-five minutes from Surghâya I had on my left, at the foot of the precipitous mountain-side, the little village of 'Ain Hauwar, with a large fountain, the source, as has been already stated, of the Nahr Zebdâny. In ten minutes more I reached the end of the plain of Surghâya and the head of Wady Zebdâny, and another hour brought me to Bludân.

This region, though traversed during the last century by hundreds of travellers, has never hitherto been correctly described or delineated upon maps. My numerous bearings and minute observations, connected with carefullykept Itineraries, have enabled me to construct the accompanying map, in the accuracy of which I feel confident. It will be seen by any observant traveller who passes along this route, that the plains of Zebdâny and Surghâya, and the Wady Marabûn, are all in a direct line, running very nearly from south-west to north-east, by compass; yet hitherto the route from the southern end of the plain of Zebdâny, towards Marabûn, has been represented as running due north! and by some north-by-west!

It is

• Dr. Wilson appears to have travelled the same route between Zebdâny and Bâ'albek as that here described. His notes, however, are full of errors. He does not notice the plain of Surghâya at all,

this strange error which has tended so much to misplace Baalbek and the whole ridge of Antilibanus on all previous maps.

but says that "the plain soon contracted after we passed Zebedání." This is true; but it soon expands again. He says that " a few yards north of Surghaya the watershed occurs, a stream flowing southward through Wádí Baradá, and another, called Karaiyah, flowing first northward, and then escaping to the westward." This is wholly incorrect. The watershed is nearly a mile south of Surghâya; and there is no stream flowing into the Wady Barada from any place north of 'Ain Hauwar. Wady M'arabûn he calls Wádí Rummáni. This name I never heard. He took bearings from Khán Bundúk, a little ruin on the eastern side of the plain of Zebdâny, and from the head of Wady M'arabûn, which tend to confirm my previous statement about the direction of this route. Mount Hermon bore from the former place S.W. by S., and from the latter likewise S.W. by S.; and from this it is plain he must have travelled between these two places in a course N.W. by N. He draws the singular conclusion that he must have proceeded due north in the interval! It is strange that his cartographer did not observe this blunder. See Lands of the Bible,' vol. ii. pp. 375-6.

ANTILIBANUS.

Ride over Antilibanus from Saidnâya to Baalbek-Temple at Nahleh - Topography of Antilibanus-The ruins of Lybon and source of the Orontes-Ancient canals- Convent and ruins at Ras BâalbekGreat fountain of the Orontes - Excavated convent of Mâr Marûn Monument of Hurmul - Ruins of Jûsy - Not the site of LaodiciaDepredations of the Bedawîn-Site and history of RIBLAH- The Orontes Probable site of Laodicia ad Libanum - The lake of Hums and its ancient dam-Hums, the ancient Emesa-Effects of Turkish misrule Assyrian mounds - History and antiquities of EmesaNorthern termination of Antilibanus-Tragic death of the Aga of Hasya. NORTHERN BORDER OF THE "LAND OF ISRAEL"-Mount Hor-The "Entering in of Hamath"-Identification of ZEDAD and HAZAR-ENAN.

Night march and adventures with Bedawîn-Site of Comochara Nebk-Ride by Málûla to Damascus.

ON the 11th October, 1853, I set out, in company of the Rev. Mr. Barnett, on a tour to the town of Hums, whither

duty called us. We proposed to include in our excursion as many villages as possible, and in order to accomplish this, determined to proceed northward from Bâålbek through the great valley of Colesyria, and to return along the eastern side of Antilibanus. I made every preparation as usual for examining the antiquities and topography of the country, as far as time and opportunity might permit; and, as the country is little known, I here insert the result of my observations.1

At 12 o'clock we left Bâb Tûma, and riding across the plain to Burzeh proceeded thence to Saidnâya by a road a little to the right of that described formerly. I thus gained a good bird's-eye view of the eastern section of the great plain of Sahra to the base of Jebel Tinîyeh, and afterwards passed through the little village of Ma'arra. We spent the night in the convent, as we now travelled without tents or equipage, save what our servants carried in their saddle-bags.

October 12th.-After attending the morning service in the church we again walked round the ruins of this interesting village, but the results of our researches have already been detailed. We then engaged a guide to conduct us over the great mountain-chain direct to Baalbek. This we found a work of some difficulty, as the intervening country,

1 A detailed account of this tour was transmitted to Dr. Robinson, of New York, and inserted by him in the 'Bibliotheca Sacra' for October, 1854. As that work has an extensive circulation, I do not consider it necessary to enter in this place into all the topographical details, as to the structure of the great mountain-range of Antilibanus, which are there given-especially so as the features of these mountains will be found faithfully delineated in the map attached to this work.

2 See above, ch. v., section i., where a full description of Saidnâya, and the route between it and Damascus, may be found.

and indeed the whole northern section of the chain of Antilibanus, is the great stronghold of the "House of Harfûsh," the hereditary emîrs of Baalbek; and these, since the rebellion of the Metâwely in 1850, have been outlawed by the Turkish government. For a number of years it has been the secret policy of the local authorities in Damascus to exterminate this princely family. Several of them have been captured and are now exiles in Crete; some have been killed in battle, and a few have been privately murdered, whether by the instigation of government or not it is difficult to prove. The Emîr Suliman, the present head of the house, defies the government, maintains a guard of a hundred horse, which he can increase fourfold on an emergency, and is the virtual governor of the whole district. Not a few of his followers live by plunder; and the flocks, and even the grain and houses, of the surrounding villages suffer from their depredations. Fortunately for us the emîr, though outlawed by the sultan, is a kind of English protégé, as indeed are most rebels in this and other lands at the present time. We had therefore nothing to fear, and succeeded in persuading the Christian guide that we could protect him if he would point out the way.

We left the convent at 8 o'clock, and, passing through the filthy streets of the village, followed a path leading in a north-western direction up the rocky side of Jebel Shurabîn. At 8-20 we saw the small village of Telfîta about 2 miles on our left, on the opposite side of a great recess in the mountains. The whole declivities are here cultivated in little patches among the lofty jagged rocks. The ruins of several chapels and oratories crown the